# Clay pipes?



## Trip59 (Aug 9, 2010)

I've searched, and not really found a bunch of info, just mentions of clays along with other types.

I just placed an order for a handful of tobacco varieties based on helpful suggestions from folks here, and before completing the order, tossed a few clays into the cart. Then I sat there looking at the confirmation page realizing I know nothing about them...

I have and have smoked cobs, briars, cherry, and a couple of other types of wood. I've never owned or smoked a clay, nor do I know how to take care of them, other than not dropping them...

Any info or advice? 

Thanks,
Trip


----------



## strongirish (Dec 11, 2008)

Taking care of them is easy, they require no care, just run a cleaner through them and you can put them in the fireplace or oven to clean them. But be careful of them, they are hot as hades to smoke and very brittle. They have their fans but I am not one of them.


----------



## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Earl summed it up based on my experience with an unglazed Gouda. 

If your pipe is unglazed as well, be sure to wet the tip or it will sort of stick to your lips. One weird thing I found is that they seem to work well for some types of tobacco (when I smoke a straight VA in mine I can taste what I'd expect to taste) however, when I smoked a bowl of 1792 in mine I got almost no tonquin flavor at all. Very strange. Let us know what you think when you get yours.


----------



## Trip59 (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks guys! I'll definitely let you know. I bought a few for my office actually, and the one thing I forgot to ask was if they need to ever be rotated or if I can just puff away throughout the day and again tomorrow and so-on. I don't smoke cigars in my office, but I like the lingering pipe smell somewhat.


----------



## strongirish (Dec 11, 2008)

I seriously doubt you will be able to smoke one throughout the day, again as they smoke so hot. They are more a novelty pipe, fun to try now and then and to display but there is a good reason briar became the medium of choice.


----------



## Trip59 (Aug 9, 2010)

strongirish said:


> I seriously doubt you will be able to smoke one throughout the day, again as they smoke so hot. They are more a novelty pipe, fun to try now and then and to display but there is a good reason briar became the medium of choice.


Not constantly, few minutes here, few minutes there... I'm still working on cigarette avoidance, replacing them with pipe and cigar (quit cigs for 5 years, picked them back up in November and have been regretting that night ever since...) I was concerned this randomly throughout the day and everyday use would cause issues with the pipes I have.

What would you recommend (I don't have the budget for 10-14 briars...)


----------



## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Trip59 said:


> What would you recommend (I don't have the budget for 10-14 briars...)


Marty Pulvers often has groups of 4-5 pipes for sale together on his specials page, typically for around $50:
specials

They may be old and beat-up but they're a great deal and an easy way to expand your rotation without spending a lot of $.


----------



## Pipedreamz (Feb 4, 2011)

Trip59 said:


> What would you recommend (I don't have the budget for 10-14 briars...)


You don't need the budget for 10-14 briars. I picked up the pipe about a month ago. I have two. One basket pipe. $20 or so and one estate pipe I got from a flea market for $17 and it's the best one. some sites have pipe starter kits and even 3 pipes for X$'s and so on. Smoking a pipe is super relaxing, so you don't have to stress over spending bunches of money. You have to get the technique down also, remember that. Thats my newbie 2cents


----------



## User Name (Feb 11, 2011)

Trip59 said:


> I just placed an order for a handful of tobacco varieties based on helpful suggestions from folks here, and before completing the order, tossed a few clays into the cart.
> Trip


So where did you find those clays at?


----------



## Trip59 (Aug 9, 2010)

Pipedreamz said:


> You don't need the budget for 10-14 briars. I picked up the pipe about a month ago. I have two. One basket pipe. $20 or so and one estate pipe I got from a flea market for $17 and it's the best one. some sites have pipe starter kits and even 3 pipes for X$'s and so on. Smoking a pipe is super relaxing, so you don't have to stress over spending bunches of money. You have to get the technique down also, remember that. Thats my newbie 2cents


The loading and smoking of the pipe is no problem, learned from an old graybeard back in the 90's. It's the not overusing it and causing it damage or whatnot I'm working on now...



User Name said:


> So where did you find those clays at?


Pipesandcigars.com Holland Clay and English Clay


----------



## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

User Name said:


> So where did you find those clays at?


If all you want to buy is a clay pipe, here is a great site. They provide supplies for reenactors. They charge hardly anything for shipping and their prices are great. It's where I got my Gouda. They don't have a large selection but if you want to try one for cheap it's a good place to pick one up.

Black Bear Haversack Trading Post


----------



## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

I plan on using John's recommendation for my next clay pipe order, but if you want more verity this guy on ebay is really pretty good to deal with. fory63 items - Get great deals on Collectibles items on eBay.com! His pipe prices are really good, but be prepared to take a hit in the shipping department. email him and he will send you a MS doc price list with example pics. His 15 inch churchwardens are only 7.50 US each.


----------



## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

shannensmall said:


> I plan on using John's recommendation for my next clay pipe order, but if you want more verity this guy on ebay is really pretty good to deal with. fory63 items - Get great deals on Collectibles items on eBay.com! His pipe prices are really good, but be prepared to take a hit in the shipping department. email him and he will send you a MS doc price list with example pics. His 15 inch churchwardens are only 7.50 US each.


Thanks for the find! I had always wanted to try out the traditional white clays, but never wanted to spend $30 for something that may not even survive the shipping in one piece. Now I can try a batch without great fear!


----------



## strongirish (Dec 11, 2008)

Well, if price is an issue I would have gone with corn cobs, they are cheap, they can be smoked all day long, and they hold up to it pretty well and smoke wonderful. If you do want more briars and price is an issue, I would be glad to sell you some old estates for about $6.00 a piece plus shipping. Understanding of course they would be clean and ready to smoke but will have knicks and dings and scratches and such.


----------



## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Traditional clay pipes have all the problems pointed out here. Lepeltier clay pipes do not. Check them out. They'd make an excellent all day smoker. www.lepeltier-pipes.com.


----------



## User Name (Feb 11, 2011)

shannensmal,

I've been looking for cheap, straight short-stemmed clay pipes without any kind of decorations on it, for some time. It looks like he has them, thank you very much.


----------



## gjcab09 (Jul 12, 2009)

dmkerr said:


> Traditional clay pipes have all the problems pointed out here. Lepeltier clay pipes do not. Check them out. They'd make an excellent all day smoker. www.lepeltier-pipes.com.


Those are kind of neat, aren't they?!


----------



## Trip59 (Aug 9, 2010)

strongirish said:


> I seriously doubt you will be able to smoke one throughout the day, again as they smoke so hot. They are more a novelty pipe, fun to try now and then and to display but there is a good reason briar became the medium of choice.


Too hot to hold, tobacco too hot causing tongue bite, or burn too fast through the tobacco?

A few minutes here few minutes there would give a hot to the touch pipe a chance to cool, no? I was basically hoping due to it not being briar or wood, that it wouldn't need to be rotated and wouldn't go funky if smoked everyday... is there another type or is a rotation the only answer?



dmkerr said:


> Traditional clay pipes have all the problems pointed out here. Lepeltier clay pipes do not. Check them out. They'd make an excellent all day smoker. www.lepeltier-pipes.com.


Thanks! I'd seen that when I was searching before posting, I found one I love the looks of (think it's the vinyard? same as the white with green vines bottom right of their home pic) Is the material something that can just be used and used and not worried about? May be asking for too much, but what I was kind of after looking at clays was a pipe that wasn't as fussy to use during the day.



gjcab09 said:


> Those are kind of neat, aren't they?!


Indeed!


----------



## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Trip59 said:


> Too hot to hold, tobacco too hot causing tongue bite, or burn too fast through the tobacco?
> 
> A few minutes here few minutes there would give a hot to the touch pipe a chance to cool, no? I was basically hoping due to it not being briar or wood, that it wouldn't need to be rotated and wouldn't go funky if smoked everyday... is there another type or is a rotation the only answer?
> 
> ...


Too hot to hold. A traditional clay pipe might make the smoke slightly hotter than a briar or meer but the material itself heats up dramatically. Actually, meers do, too. But the smoke isn't affected. Wood simply absorbs heat better than clay or magnesium silicate.

I have a LePeltier that I still smoke, although not as often as I used to. They can be smoked all day everyday with no need to rest. To clean them, simply submerge them in warm water for a few seconds, take the pipe out and swish it around. Let it air dry and you're good to go. The only fussy factor about them is that the stem is vulcanite rather than clay, and is connected to the pipe shank via a cork ring. These rings get grungy and need to be replaced periodically, the timing which is based on how often they get smoked. If you buy one, also buy some replacement rings. Keep tabs on the size for when you reorder because I believe they come in 4 or more sizes.

These provide a very nice smoke, unfettered by cakes and pipe dedications. No possibility of burnout. Sure they'll suffer if dropped on a hard surface but I would not want to do that with my briars, either! And don't touch the pipe - stem only. They don't get as hot as traditional clays due to their double-walled construction but they do get hot.

Enjoy!


----------



## Trip59 (Aug 9, 2010)

strongirish said:


> Well, if price is an issue I would have gone with corn cobs, they are cheap, they can be smoked all day long, and they hold up to it pretty well and smoke wonderful. If you do want more briars and price is an issue, I would be glad to sell you some old estates for about $6.00 a piece plus shipping. Understanding of course they would be clean and ready to smoke but will have knicks and dings and scratches and such.


I certainly didn't mean to miss your extremely generous offer, I apologize. Let me see what happens in a few days after bills and whatnot, wife would probably do some damage after my last spending spree (couple clays, about $100 in pipe tobacco, $200 in cigars, another $150 at the B&M, though $75 was for a Lampe Berger for her, oh, and $1200 for a 12" Atlas lathe...)



dmkerr said:


> Too hot to hold. A traditional clay pipe might make the smoke slightly hotter than a briar or meer but the material itself heats up dramatically. Actually, meers do, too. But the smoke isn't affected. Wood simply absorbs heat better than clay or magnesium silicate.
> 
> I have a LePeltier that I still smoke, although not as often as I used to. They can be smoked all day everyday with no need to rest. To clean them, simply submerge them in warm water for a few seconds, take the pipe out and swish it around. Let it air dry and you're good to go. The only fussy factor about them is that the stem is vulcanite rather than clay, and is connected to the pipe shank via a cork ring. These rings get grungy and need to be replaced periodically, the timing which is based on how often they get smoked. If you buy one, also buy some replacement rings. Keep tabs on the size for when you reorder because I believe they come in 4 or more sizes.
> 
> ...


If I might, why not as often, any particular reason? I've got my sights set on one, probably in a couple months when I get taxes straightened out (aforementioned spending spree tapped my disposable, and Uncle Sam is gonna get me bad I think)

Trip


----------



## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Trip59 said:


> If I might, why not as often, any particular reason? I've got my sights set on one, probably in a couple months when I get taxes straightened out (aforementioned spending spree tapped my disposable, and Uncle Sam is gonna get me bad I think)
> 
> Trip


After discovering the pleasures of The White Goddess (meerschaum), neither clay nor briar has much of a presence in my rotation. That doesn't make the clay "bad" - just not as relevant to my personal life.


----------



## owaindav (Mar 7, 2010)

dmkerr said:


> After discovering the pleasures of The White Goddess (meerschaum), neither clay nor briar has much of a presence in my rotation. That doesn't make the clay "bad" - just not as relevant to my personal life.


What an absolutely refreshing way of putting that!


----------



## strongirish (Dec 11, 2008)

While I think they are beautiful, I am not much of a meer fan either. Give me a quality briar or a corncob any day. Meers smoke hot to me as well and take a lot of trouble to maintain.


----------



## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

strongirish said:


> While I think they are beautiful, I am not much of a meer fan either. Give me a quality briar or a corncob any day. Meers smoke hot to me as well and take a lot of trouble to maintain.


Meers smoke hot like clays do. Being less heat absorbent, the meer and the clay heat up faster and stay hotter. But I've never had anything close to a hot smoke from a meer. In fact, they smoke cooler to me than briar because the heat migrates to the outside of the bowl for the most part. Diff'rent strokes.

The maintenance is purely optional. The smoker who becomes obsessed with coloration can spend a lot of time and effort making that happen. Or the smoker can simply smoke them without all the fuss.

I will admit that they perform best when clean. I simply run an Everclear moistened bristle cleaner through the stem and into the shank and scrub back and forth for 10 seconds or so after each smoke. And I wipe any semblance of cake formation out of the bowl with a paper towel after each smoke. The entire process takes less than 30 seconds and that's all the fuss the pipes require.

Believe me - if they required a lot of maintenance, my lazy old ass wouldn't take the time!


----------



## Trip59 (Aug 9, 2010)

I love UPS...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_...I/AAAAAAAAAOg/FC3c6jWGnZM/s576/1000000274.JPG


----------



## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Nice haul!!!


----------

